In Strangely Familiar Scenes, White Boy From Cronulla Vows To Bash A Muslim Immigrant

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT

The Australian media has this week surprised everyone by not reopening old wounds in their efforts to promote tonight’s heavyweight boxing match on Stan Sport.

In one corner, Sonny Bill Williams, a 40-year-old former All Black who also won NRL premierships with the Sydney Roosters and Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs. He goes up against the 44-year-old Paul Gallen – a fellow premiership winner with the Cronulla Sharks who has 18 fights to his name (15 wins – 8 by KO, 1 draw, 2 losses)

While this long-awaited clash between the former footy stars and Channel Nine colleagues is expected to be a ratings bonanza, it’s surprising that the promoters decided against leaning into one of the most shameful chapter’s in Sydney history.

Instead, the pre-fight banter has mostly been about both fighter’s past drug use.

Sonny Bill has repeatedly referenced Cronulla Sharks mildly controversial peptides scandal from the early 2010s – while Gallen responded on Monday by again slamming Williams for revealing in his autobiography that he took drugs recreationally before finding Islam.

The two men, who clearly respect each other, have cross-promoted heavily through their roles in Channel and Stan Sport’s side line coverage.

But they haven’t dug into the history context of a white boy from Cronulla fighting a Muslim immigrant from out west. This is surprising for the Australian media, given their penchant for pushing racial buttons for TV ratings.

And it was sitting right there the whole time. The former Sharks captain, who played at the club from 2001-2019 versus Sonny Bill Williams, who played at The Bulldogs from 2004-2008. Both careers timed perfectly with the 2005 Cronulla Riots. One fighter represented the sunkissed Aussie patriots from Cronulla, the other represented NRL’s heavily Muslim fanbase in Western Sydney.

As one of the leading Muslim voices in Australian media, Sonny Bill Williams makes for the perfect immigrant vigilante to avenge the victims of that fateful day.

Paul Gallen, the captain of the only Sharks side to ever win an NRL Premiership, could be marketed as the true blue Aussie reactionary who vows to defend the beaches.

The fight has been unimaginatively dubbed ‘SBW v Gal’ – instead of the far more emotive ‘CRONULLA RIOTS 2.0’